Today we're talking to Elle Macpherson, the co-founder and creative director of WelleCo, about what it takes to start a new business at 50.

Describe a typical work day for you.

I am an early bird, I wake around 5 a.m. Before I get out of bed and before the family is up, I take 30 to 45 minutes for myself: no screens, no social media, just time to mentally prepare for the day ahead. After the school drop I tend to my overnight e-mails–my wellness business, WelleCo, is based in Australia so I have to work across crazy time zones. I pick up with a phone conference with my Australian business partner, Andrea Bux, and we run through the daily operational issues of production, e-commerce, sales, and marketing. Then I break for some exercise (an hour)… I work on the phone with our London PR in the morning and often a teleconference board meeting before lunch.

I do my best to pick up my youngest son from school and attend his sporting events after school, which is important to me. And while he is doing his homework, I will usually work with our PR teams in New York and business partners in the afternoon. Our fortnightly board calls are all via phone, we have directors in the USA, Ireland, and Australia. I will always set aside time daily to post and answer questions on my Instagram–it's our way to have a genuine connection with our customers and they need to know it's me and I'm listening to what they have to say.

At night I try to have a definite cut-off time, not always easy with an international business (sometimes evenings spill over as Australia is just waking up). But evenings tend to be family time and we cherish having dinner together with no business interruptions and time to wind down before bed.

How did you land your current job?

I liked the product and the concept of an alkaline life so much I started the company!

Describe your path before landing your current job.

There is a huge difference between being a spokesperson for someone else's business and starting your own. I'm not just the girl in the ads, I'm the girl in charge, on the board, part owner of the company. I have always had an interest in the businesses behind the brands and I've experienced working for all the greats. I find that I am now able to put this experience into my business today.

I highly recommend for any woman who has a niggling feeling, a desire to do something for yourself—find what you love and do it. Choose courage, it's so rewarding. The feeling of purpose, the opportunity to work on something you are passionate about and drive to do something meaningful is the best reason for taking the next step. If you're going to work long hours you have to love it—and I do.

I appreciate being financially self-sufficient. I have worked since I was 17 years old and it's a good feeling. I choose to have people in my life because I love them, not because I rely on them for anything other than love and friendship. That's quite liberating in my world. It also means I can help my family when they need it, and I love that I am in a position to do this.

The day-to-day of my current job as co-founder and creative director of WelleCo means I get to work with a truly energized and committed team to create a business from the ground up. It's exciting. As a largely e-commerce business we see the day-to-day results of what we are doing, what people are responding to and what they're not. The problem solving, day-to-day issues, and problems to overcome, the hours contributed, the thrill of creation and when this is adopted by so many people (because they see benefits), it's all part of the rewarding feeling at the end of the day.

Was there a time when you asked for more responsibilities or applied for a long shot job? How did you go about it? What was going on in your life at the time?

I had to prove my credentials in this company just like everyone else. Our partners, the board, all had to agree I could participate as an active partner. I had to prove I was more than the just a spokesperson...I asked myself and my business partner Andrea to have faith in me to help run this business and to creatively direct its path. We had worked together on her game-changing chemical free sunscreen brand Invisible Zinc in Australia, so she knew a little of what I was capable of—I take it as a huge compliment that she saw this potential and had this faith and encouraged me to step up to a more responsible role.

Was there a time when you wanted less responsibility or held off on a promotion? What prompted that?

I'm sure people see me as strong and confident, but believe me, I went through the same moments of nervousness and procrastination as the next person. Starting my own wellness company at 50, knowing it would be publicly scrutinized—the fact there was such talent behind it, the nutritional doctors and PhDs who worked on it—I was worried that such a good product and such a positive message could get lost. Even though I knew one day I would start my own business, this natural caution has held me back from certain steps in my life.

For example, I finally ended my relationship with Bendon (a New Zealand lingerie company) after 25 years of collaborating on my lingerie brand, Elle Macpherson Intimates. Although I had taken quite advanced steps at the time with the company (25 years ago) and converted from being a spokesperson with a daily rate to having a license and participating in the share of the profits, I wanted a new business structure as a fully contributing partner. So yes, I withdrew from what was a long-standing and lucrative arrangement with Bendon because it no longer worked for me. I simply outgrew the business model. (Excuse the pun!) I have since found a dynamic new business partner and we have created a joint venture to produce, manufacture, and distribute my lingerie brand, a modern business arrangement. It seems I have a natural inclination for business and am fortunate to be trusted by my partners. So there was the perfect time to terminate perpetuating a license agreement with Bendon, and next year is the perfect time to reveal the results of my lingerie new partnership when the collection launches—to be released in 2016.

Have you ever asked for a raise? How did you go about it?

It's about understanding your strengths and stepping up when you have to. Timing is everything. I also believe that taking on projects for love is important. I'm not saying money doesn't count, but I tend to balance my projects—sometimes the least financially viable projects bring the most joy or life lessons, experience, contacts, and growth.

Was there ever a time when you felt you were treated differently than your male coworkers? If yes, how so?

Yes—most of my male coworkers would not have been caught dead in my lingerie! [Laughs] [Editor]

If you have caretaking responsibilities, who helps you with them while you are working?

I organize my work commitments around my boys' commitments and school hours. I am a very present parent and love parenting my boys and step-parenting my husband's three children. My boys live at home and they do have someone who helps them get their schedules organized—I can't do it all when I am working (and they don't want me on their case!) so it works well for them to have a big brother/mentor to help them get organized. No matter how busy we all are, a mother's love and care is what they need–I'm there for all the details of their life.

If you have caretaking responsibilities and a spouse, how do you divvy up the caretaking?

We have five children between us, he has three, and I have two. We both understand the kids come first and respect each other's commitment to the kids' education, sporting, and personal development. We are both deeply committed parents and step-parents–I have had to become an organizational magician to keep it all running smoothly.

What do you do for self-care?

I take a holistic approach to self-care, and I am a believer in the profound effect good nutrition can have, it's number one. I was advised early on in life to "Take care of yourself so you can take care of your family and your business." In simple terms love, laughter, sleep, lots of water, and proper absorbable whole-food nutrition. I use our SUPER ELIXIR to keep my base-line health in balance every day and the rest is the simple alkaline principle of eating more plants and less animals.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to have your job some day?

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